The Post-Vacation Mess

Is today flying by for anyone else? I figured my first work day back from vacation would drag on and on, but it’s really whizzing by. Holy moly, where does the time go? Hey, I’m not complaining!

Lunch

I went grocery shopping this morning, so my kitchen was full of lots of healthy options for lunch today. I had raw green bell pepper, carrots, and celery with hummus.

Love this flavor!

I also had a Dr. Praeger’s California Vegetable Burger with pickles and kale.

Here’s my lunch on the kitchen counter:

Because my dining room table (and much of our house) is currently in shambles.

I’ve made some progress on the laundry and unpacking about 75% of my stuff, but I still have some work to do to get my life back in order.

I’m totally one of those people who needs to unpack and get organized almost as soon as they get home from a trip/vacation. I hate having everything disorganized and all over the place, and the thought of my dirty laundry siting in my suitcase sort of stresses me out, especially sweaty workout gear. I can leave things unpacked and disorganized overnight, but I never go much longer than that.

What do you do when you return from a trip? Unpack immediately or unpack at a more leisurely pace?

Snack

A couple of hours after lunch, I whipped up a smoothie as an afternoon snack. In the mix:

My smoothie ended up really thick, so I kept adding more almond milk to it, which meant that my single-serving smoothie turned into two 16-ounce ones. Obviously, I drank them both. No smoothie goes to waste in my house!

Feel Great Weight

In the past, I used to see vacation as an excuse to overindulge and pretty much ditch my healthy habits all together. But not surprisingly, I’d return from vacation feeling sluggish, unhappy with myself, and sometimes even a few pounds heavier. Obviously, I don’t want to stress out about maintaining my weight on vacation””I mean, what better time to splurge? But I also don’t want to overdo it either, so here’s what I’m going to pack so I’ll enjoy an overall healthier (but just as fun) trip: What to Pack for a Healthy Vacation.

New Balance Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway to win a pair of New Balance 890s! Here’s your winner:

Mary Beth

These look awesome! I’m getting back into the gym routine and would love to have these to help with my training

Congrats, Mary Beth! Please email me at [email protected] with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize.

I loved your article on Health.com! My fiance and I are going on our honeymoon to Hawaii this summer, and I’m going to make sure to bring a water bottle and workout clothes. Not that I’ll be obsessive about it, but who can resist a walk around Maui, anyway?

I just got home (last wk) from a 5wk trip to Hawaii, and after a red eye flight, a transfer in Vancouver and a two hr drive home, I unpacked immediately & headed straight to the grocery store. Leaving stuff sit out stresses me out! Hope you had a wonderful trip – I’d love to cruise someday! : )

I always unpack immediately after getting home. I like to get my life back in order right away 🙂 Just like you! Looks like your trip was awesome!!! We went to Disney World over Spring Break and it was a blast, however, I needed a vacation from my vacation when we returned. That place was exhausting, but oh soooo soooo fun!!!!

Looks like you had a great trip!
Thanks for the guest posting opportunity. Loved it!

I am an unpacking procrastinator. I can pack in about 10 minutes because I have a packing spreadsheet (one for vacation, one for business travel) but I tend to take my time putting everything away after a trip. However the dirty laundry comes out of my suitcase ASAP!

I unpack immediately for the opposite reason that most of you do– I unpack right away because the dirty mess doesn’t bother me. That means if I don’t do it right away, I will leave my open suitcase in the middle of the bedroom for weeks.

My fiance waits weeks to unpack his bags. He just leaves them laying around and picks out things as he needs them. I am totally one who comes home, immediately puts things away and gets everything ready for the next day (assuming we get home on a Sunday) then I think its time to relax.

I LOVED your post on what to pack for a healthy vacation. I just got back from a weekend trip with my parents and husband, and I packed quinoa for two nights and small ziplock packets of pre-portioned oatmeal mixed with chia seeds and protein powder. My parents thought I was crazy — quinoa?! But guess what WASN’T left over after the trip was done? Their crackers and cookies are still in the bag, but the quinoa? Finished!

New place and new home with new environment and adtntsmeujs. Try to know your nearest neighbor and it has possibility that they can help you with your unpacking using services. They are always good neighbors to welcome you in your new neighborhood

It depends, if we come return during the weekend I unpack immediately, if on a Sunday night or a week day usually I do it little by little, so when the weekend comes I don’t have to worry about that stuff!

I’m anal about unpacking as soon as I get home. Like, in the first hour. I don’t know why. I’m always in such a hurry to get back to my regular life by the time I’m home from the airport. Laundry, however…well, that can sit in the laundry basket (clean, straight from the dryer) for a while…

i wish you could rub off some of your need to do laundry when you get home on me because i HATE doing the chores post-vacay! i am so glad you had a great time. carnival truly does host a fun cruise! cant wait to read more!

i unpack a lot of my stuff immediately, stuff i need. i do laundry the next day usually.. and then slowly unpack within the next few days. it drives me nuts too, but then i’m not home, i can only do it on weeknights.

Mmm, that hummus looks great! I’m running low sadly 🙁 As for unpacking, I tend to go towards one extreme or another. If it’s half a week or less worth of clothes, etc., then I have to do it immediately. If it’s not, it’ll lie around the apartment for at least a week before I finally get to it!